7 September 2016

Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe

If you're anything like me then you'll be getting cosy on your sofa every Wednesday at 8pm for the foreseeable future, as The Great British Bake Off takes spotlight on our screens. I love sitting down to watch each week's episode, seeing the creations they make throughout the show as well as learning a few tricks myself. I've always wanted to be this magnificent baker who can whip up posh cakes and treats with ease, but realistically my skills are better spent cooking and baking is something I am still trying to perfect.

Tonight's episode will follow the contestants as they compete through bread week, and with no time to whip up some crusty rolls or marvellous loafs, I decided to opt for something a lot easier, one of my all time favourite desserts. So if you're a fan of bread and butter pudding like me or simply want something to make that uses ingredients most of us have in our cupboards and fridge, this super simple recipe will have you tucking in in no time!

The ingredients are very simple, most of which you should have to hand but any odd bits you need are easy to source from your local shop or supermarket.

Method

001. Prep your dish ready to go by greasing with butter. Best to opt for a big dish; I opted for one I do one-pot roasting in.

002. Time to prep your bread. A lot of recipes will tell you to remove the crusts, but I prefer to keep mine on for a little bit of 'crunch' to an otherwise soft dessert. I simply butter one side of each slice of bread, before cutting into large triangles. Once you've done this you can arrange of a layer into your dish (buttered side up bakers!) with a dash of sultanas and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

003. Repeat this process until your dish is nice and full and you have used up all of your bread, with the very top layer being just bread. The sultanas and cinnamon powder are for the 'inside' of your bread and butter pudding, whereas your top layer is going to be finished as a last step.

004. Time to prep your custard! Warm your milk and double cream on a low heat. Make sure you don't let it boil; a gentle simmer at most. Whilst your milk and double cream are on the hob, crack your eggs into a bowl, whisking in 3/4 of your sugar until the mixture is light and pale.

005. Add the milk and double cream mixture into your bowl of eggs and sugar, slowly, whisking as you go. This will create your 'custard' for your bread and butter pudding.

006. Now you can add your mixture to your bread layers. Pour gently over the layers in even sections, ensuring all of the bread is covered.

007. It's time to finish your bread and butter pudding! Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4 and add the remaining sugar to your top layer of bread. As a finishing touch, grate fresh nutmeg over your top layer before leaving it to one side to stand for 30 minutes.

Longer resting time is OK, but be aware this may make your bread and butter pudding slightly drier. If you do opt to leave it longer for your resting time, make sure to turn the oven off and only preheat when you are ready to pop it in!

008. Once you've left your bread and butter pudding to rest, it's time to pop it in the oven! 30-40 minutes should do it; you want your 'custard' to be set and your top layer to have a lovely golden brown colour to it.

Your bread and butter pudding will be ready to serve within minutes of coming out of the oven. You can serve it alone, with cream or even with more custard, even a dollop of vanilla ice cream goes well with this dessert!

I can't wait to tuck into ours this evening as we watch The Great British Bake Off. Will you be attempting a bit of bread baking this week?

This has given me the biggest pregnancy cravings ever. I am loving bake off at the moment, its the first season I have ever watched. I think my inner maternal instincts are making me want to bake. I asked my husband the other day if we needed a Kitchen Aid (apparently we don't!)

Thanks for stopping by! If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them here. I try to respond to comments as quickly as possible, but if you have an urgent question feel free to tweet me @TattooedTealady!